A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Did Vera and her team just catch a break?
"What are we looking for?" Aiden asked as he walked into the room, expecting to find his boss. "Boss?"
"In here," she called out.
Aiden followed her voice and found her in a large walk in closet. "My word," he muttered.
Vera couldn't help but chuckle. "Never seen a rich woman's closet before?"
"Not one with a closet this size. It's larger than my bedroom was in my old flat."
"It's larger than me bedroom is now."
"So what are you doing in the closet?"
"I'm searching for the trousers Hellen was wearing the day she found a note out in her garden. John told me he'd seen her find the note and that she'd been upset by it."
"And what does a note that upset her have to do with the case?"
"Because the woman was receiving flowers with cards that weren't from her husband and because the man that wasn't from P and C had made comments to her."
Aiden was confused. "I still don't understand. How do you know this?"
"Don't ask questions. Go find the office and look about the desk. The son said the middle drawer has a tray that pops out if you push down on the lock."
Aiden scowled at her back then turned and went to do as she'd told him. Grumbling as he went, he heard her yell that she'd heard him and he rolled his eyes. The woman had eyes in the back of her head and ears like a cat, he supposed. That, or she just simply knew they grumbled and made faces behind her back.
VS
"Vera!" Aiden yelled as he stared down at the stack of notes he'd found hidden under the tray in the middle drawer of the desk, just where she'd described.
"What?" she huffed as she came into the room.
"Look."
Moving over to the desk, Vera's eyes widened as she stared down at the stack of notes, the words on the top one sending a chill down her spine. "My god," she breathed. Pulling on a pair of gloves, she reached in and lifted the stack out, going through them and wondering why the couple hadn't called the police. "This top one," she muttered. "Call Kenny and have him check to see if there were any reports made about threats. These start off as sort of love letters, but you can tell that she's ignoring him by the way they escalate into threats."
Aiden did as he was told, hoping this would lead to them learning the name of the man that seemed to be a phantom. "Kenny said he's on it. Do you think these have fingerprints from our killer on them?" Aiden held up the worst note of the lot.
"That's what I'm hoping. I know that Hellen's and Martin's prints will be on them, but hopefully out of all of these we'll get at least one good print that will tell us who our killer is."
"This case is frustrating."
"Very."
"Since we know the man wasn't with P and C, what if the name he gave the Kingsley's wasn't his real name?"
"I've thought of that. I'm really hoping that isn't the case, but the way things have been going with this investigation," she shrugged.
"You think it will be a false name."
"I do."
"So really the only hope we have is a print and him being in the system."
"Yes."
"Have you ever had a case this frustrating?"
"One. And I still don't know who the killer was."
Aiden looked at Vera, the tone of her voice making him curious about the case. What was it about the case that had his boss looking like she was suddenly lost in remembering? "Boss?"
"What?"
"Where were you just now?"
Vera shook her head. "Never you mind. Let's get this bagged and take them back to the station."
Aiden nodded and handed Vera the notes before leaving the room to go and get an evidence bag out of his car. He should have known he wouldn't get an answer out of Vera. "Wonder if Shep knows," he murmured then shook his head. "Doubtful. If anyone knows it's Billy or Kenny."
VS
"They did file a report." Kenny said as he put a folder down on Vera's desk with a light thump.
Vera opened the folder and fingered through the report, frowning when she noticed the name. "Michael Thompson. Did you run his name?"
"No. Look at the next page."
Vera growled when she read what she'd feared. Nothing came up in a search that matched the information given about the man. "I was afraid of that. Hellen didn't just give the therapist the wrong name to protect the man, she didn't know his real name herself."
"Now what?"
"Now we hope that the notes turn up a usable fingerprint."
"This case is getting ridiculous. We have a nutter out there and nothing to help us find him."
Vera nodded as she scrubbed a hand over her face and yawned. "Go on home, Kenny. There's nothing else we can do until we see if there's a print to use."
Kenny nodded. "You should too." Looking pointedly at her, he raised an eyebrow. "You look like hell."
"Thanks for that. Now get out of here before I put you out on night patrol."
Kenny raised his hands. "I'm going. I'm going."
Vera watched the man go and gave him a dirty look behind his back. She didn't need him telling her she looked like hell, she could see that in the mirror. Staring down at the paper in the folder, she slapped at it in frustration. If Hellen didn't know the man's real name, what good was haunting her doing?
"Why are you haunting me, Hellen? What are you trying to tell me?" Vera murmured then shook her head at herself for talking to a dead woman. Closing the file, she stood up and walked around her desk to grab her coat, deciding to go home. Not that she would rest. "Not that I'll be alone," she mumbled, knowing that Billy would wind up on her doorstep again.
"Lunatic." Knowing she was being watched as she climbed into the Land Rover, Vera sighed and pulled out her phone. I know you're there. Go home. She typed the text out and sent it to Shep, knowing it was the young woman waiting to follow her home. Hearing her phone's text notification, she chuckled at the response. No, Ma'am. I'll see you home or I won't sleep. One of us has to look rested. "Cheeky thing." Sending back, Fine then. Just do me a favor and don't sic Billy on me tonight, she shoved her phone back in her pocket and started the engine, pulling out to head home.
Even though she grumbled about being followed about, she had to admit, at least to herself, that it did her heart good to know she had people who cared enough about her to worry that she was in danger.
How many years had it been since she'd had someone care about her to worry over her?
Hector sure as hell had never cared enough to worry. Her mam had cared. She'd often wondered what she would be like now if her mother hadn't died when she did – if she'd lived to see Vera into adulthood. Would she still be a copper? Would she have a husband and bairns of her own? Would she be less harsh, her sharp tongue reigned in more?
Shaking her head, she sighed. No sense thinking of what ifs and would she bes because she would never have those answers. The last person that had cared and worried about her had been Peter, but look where that had gotten him.
Yes, it was nice having people care and worry, but if she was in danger it put them in harm's way and she couldn't have that.
No one was going to die protecting her.
No one.